Sunday, February 28, 2010

The 2010 Filmfare awards were absolute reproduction of Star Screen awards. Big B won the award for the best actor for his performance in the film Paa. Vidya Balan won the best actress for the performance in the same. Amir Khan’s performance in The 3 idiots went in vain.

It is nothing new that Big B never won any award for versatile performances in the films Akhree Rasta, Indrajeet, Akela, etc., but when the name got converted into brand name the awards had been running after him. Same thing had happened with AR Rehman. When he composed music for Roza, or Bombay, or Saathiya, there was innovation the main yardstick of awards. These days whenever even if he creates mediocre music in Delhi 6, he gets awards. Neither is there any promotion of new talents, nor recognition for good work. Pritam, Shantanu Moitra had just created good music in the films Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani and The 3 idiots.

Among the list of manipulated awards some rewards for genuine good performances included the award won by Boman Irani for best supporting actor in the film The 3 idiots. He has potential of the same lights of Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri. Also Ranbir Kapoor won the critics’ choice award for his performance in the films Wake Up Sid, Rocket Singh, etc.

The male and female singer award does not prove anything. Kavita Seth and Rekha Bharadwaj had won the awards for the film Delhi 6. The songs were ordinary by every musical standards. Also Mohit Chauhan’s award proves nothing.

The sad part of these filmfare awards is that it had huge heritage of stalwarts like Dilip Kumar, Meena Kumari, Balraj Sahani, Raj Kapoor winning the awards under different categories in the past. Critics even argue that there is hardly any justification of the best actor, the category should have been best hero.

The national awards still have some relevance. Filmfare awards had been a tool, either purchased or manipulated or rigged.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

These days holi is losing significance in the context of bollywood films and the stars involved with film-making. During the lifetime of Showman Raj Kapoor, holi was celebrated in RK Studio. It used to be a very prestigious affair. Other than members of the Kapoor family including Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor and others, celebrities from the film industry used to play holi in the studio.

The event marked the strengthening of relationship of members of the bollywood film industry. The celebration included directors like Manmohan Desai, actors like Dilip Kumar, singers like Mukesh, composers like Shankar Jaikishan, to name a few. The enthusiasm was there even during the 80s, when most of the celebrities who were contemporaries of Raj Kapoor became old.

Raj Kapoor himself stopped it in the late 80s as he started having physical discomfort while playing holi. He had asthma and the contact of colours basically aggravated the disease. The prestigious celebration of holi stopped after 1988, after the death of Raj Kapoor.

After that time, a number of other celebrities started the tradition of inviting the film industry to play holi. But the pomp and grandiuer that was there in RK Studio could not be replicated.

Holi forms an important festival for Indians and bollywood films had devoted a lot of space for holi. It was shown in films like Paraya Dhan, Sholay, Silsila, to name a few. The songs related to holi like “holi re holi” sung by Manna Dey, “holi ke rang” sung by Kishore Kumar, or “rang barse” sung by Big B had not lost their appeal even after 30 years of the release of the films.

Modern producers and directors can also portray the festival of colours in modern films in their innovative style as holi is one of the most popular festivals of the country. Ranbir Kapoor is on the way to be the new superstar of bollywood films with successful performances in films like Bachna Aye Haseeno, Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani. He can make an effort to revive the holi celebrations in RK Studio.

Friday, February 26, 2010

The film Atithi Tum Kab Jayoge, does not have anything new. There has been a mindset of most of the directors these days that the moment they make a comedy film it will automatically be hit. There is no basis of this mindset. If in 2009, All The Best did great business, Do Not Disturb and De Dana Dan flopped.

Ashwni Dhar had been the director of the film. He had cast Ajay Devgan, Konkona Sen Sharma and Paresh Rawal in the main roles. Warner Brother Pictures and Wide Frame Films had produced the film. In this film Ajay Devgan and Konkona Sen Sharma had a peaceful family.

But the appearance of Paresh Rawal in their house created the maximum amount of displeasure. He mentioned that he was a distant relative of the family and come from village. But the period of time for which promised to stay passed away. He never decided to leave the house.

He created annoyance of every type for the family. Ajay Devgan and Konkona Sen Sharma had tried every type of ploy to compel Paresh Rawal to leave the house. But he was adamant enough to act on their ploy. The character artists like Ritesh Deshmukh, Sanjay Mishra, Pradeep Rawat, Satish Kaushik did well in their respective roles.

The music had been composed by Pritam. The song “dohe” sung by Amit Misra and “aaja aaja” sung by Pritam had been popular. The other song “joti jalaile” sung by Vishal Bharatdwaj was not bad. But the film does not have the masala with which viewers can be drawn in to the cinema halls or persuaded to sit in the halls for three hours.

The acting of Paresh Rawal, Konkona Sen Sharma and Paresh Rawal had been fine. But if the script does not help the actors to that extent, the comedy punch at times become boring.

If the film does mediocre business it is more than enough for the director and producer.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Among the different songs composed by various composers and written by various lyricists in 2009, the ones composed by Pritam in the film Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani appealed the most.

Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani had Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor acting together in a romantic role for the first time. So obviously the viewers had a lot of expectation from both of them. Atif Aslam and Alisha Chinoy had sung the song “tera hone laga hoon” which was probably the most romantic composition of 2009. It does not matter whether Pritam had received any filmfare award for the best composer, the award givers these days think that giving any award to AR Rehman increases their prestige after winning Oscar. Neither does it matter whether Atif Aslam or Alisha Chinoy wins any awards or not.

The lyrics of the songs were very catchy, especially the line “shining in the setting sun like a pearl upon the ocean come on feel me girl feel me”. The part sung by Alisha Chinoy titled “o aja tubhi mera mera” attaches the portion of Atif Aslam titled “tera hone laga hoon” in the film. The orchestration is very soft and the lyrics written by Irshad Kamil is very meaningful.

The songs composed by Pritam in the film Jab We Met were equally romantic, which did not get the appreciation they deserved. Specially the song “tum se hi” had an everlasting in terms of the rhythm and melody. Soft numbers always have a lasting impression.

In that respect Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani reached the viewers and audiences through their songs even more than the performances of Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor which were decent as well. Pritam should get encouraged to compose more soft numbers in future.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Karthik calling Karthik is the new film directed by Vijay Lalwani and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani. Whenever the name of Farhan Akhtar is associated with any film, the viewers are reminded about the success of his previous films like Lakshya or Rock On.

From the film Luck By Chance, Farhan Akhtar had also exhibited his ability to play role of middle-class Indians. Actress Deepika Padukone had been cast opposite Farhan Akhtar in the film Karthik Calling Karthik. Deepika Padukone had the success of the film Love Aaj Kal with Saif Ali Khan. After that film, this is her first film released in 2010.

The film revolves around the life of an introvert character Karthik played by Farhan Akhtar. He faces a lot of hurdles and obstacles in life due to the fact of hardly opening his mouth whenever required. He also becomes a loner as he keeps in phone also off not to interact with school friends and other friends. He meets another character called Karthik in the film, a person who changes his dimensions.

Deepika Padukone played the role of the friend of Farhan Akhtar in the film who had been considerate and compassionate towards Farhan Akhtar. She almost played the same type of character which was played by Konkona Sen Sharma in the film Luck By Chance or Wake Up Sid. Indian Institute of Management had been used to shoot some of the scenes.

The music of the film had been composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy who had created great music again. Already the songs “uff teri ada” and “hey da” sung by Shankar Mahadevan had become extremely popular. The other songs include “jane yeh kya hua” sung by KK, “Karthik calling Karthik” sung by Shankar Mahadevan and others, “kaisi hai yeh udaasi” sung by Kailash Kher and others. The music is definitely going to entertain the audience.

But these films cannot expect to do great business, as the viewers these days cannot identify themselves in slow films. Farhan Akhtar and Deepika Padukone had played their roles in style. The character actors and actresses in the film including Ram Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Sanjay Dutt, Omi Vaidya, were brilliant. The film has every prospect of doing mediocre business as the story is good and performances of actors were very decent.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Emma Thomson made notable contribution in Hollywood films of the 80s. Born on 15th April, 1959, Emma Thomson was famous both as actress and also writer and director of films. She was the daughter of actor Eric Thomson, the writer of the novel The Magic Roundabout.

Emma Thomson came to limelight through her performances in Television shows in the early 80s, namely Alfresco and There’s nothing to worry about. She amazed the viewers with her performance in the serial Tutti Fruti for which she won BAFTA award for the best performance.

She acted under the direction of Richard Curtis in the film The Tall Guy from where her film career. Actor Jeff Goldblum acted opposite her in the successful film of the late 80s. She received Oscar award for the best actress for her landmark performance in the film Howard’s End in 1992.

She was sublime in the role of lawyer in the film Guildford Four, the role of British painter in the film Carrington. Besides her performance opposite Anthony Hopkins in the film In the name of the father, the remains of the day require special mention. In 1996, she won the Oscar award again for brilliant performance in the film Sense and Sensibility. She acted opposite Hugh Grant in the film.

She did not leave acting in Television serials inspite of huge success in Hollywood films. She played landmark roles after 2000 in serials like Wit, Angels in America, etc. She continued playing important characters in contemporary films like Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Love Actually, to name a few. She was also remembered for her brilliant performance in the film Stranger than fiction.

She is still working in projects relating to Harry Potter series. Critics consider her to be one of the most powerful actress of contemporary films. The viewers expect her to continue the great work as actress, writer and director, that she had started 20 years back.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Uttam Kumar being the greatest superstar of Bengali cinema during the golden age, that is the 50s, 60s and 70s, had acted in the films of all the legendary filmmakers of Bengal and the country as a whole. He had worked with Satyajit Ray in films like Nayak, Chiriakhana, Tapan Sinha in films like Jotugriha, Jhinder Bandi, Agragami in films like Sankhabela, Shilpi, Agradoot in films like Sabar Opore, Surjo Toron, Gulzar in films like Kitaab, Mrinal Sen in films like Raat Bhor.

But the commercial films in which Uttam Kumar had gained stardom were mostly related to the works of Ajoy Kar, the innovative filmmaker of the country. He utilized the middle-class image of Uttam Kumar in the film Griha Prabesh. He made Uttam Kumar play a sacrificing role in the society in the film Shyamali. Shaymali was staged in Star Theatre in Kolkata as play and ran successfully for more than 4 years. Ajoy Kar came out victorious in the film Shyamali after Uttam Kumar played a cameo in the film.

Uttam Kumar played the role of an honest academician in the film Bardidi based on the epic literature of Sarat Chandra Chatterji. Ajoy Kar provided spectacles in the make up of Uttam Kumar. Uttam Kumar was as brilliant in the role of a down to earth zamindar as Sandharani who played the lead role in the film.

Ajoy Kar’s Harano Sur was the biggest hit film of Bengali cinema of the 50s. Uttam Kumar and Suchitra Sen became the most enterprising romantic pair of the millennium with the landmark performance in the film Harano Sur. Uttam Kumar lost his memory in the early part of the film after meeting with an accident and married Suchitra Sen. He forgot her after his earlier memory was regained. Suchitra Sen worked in the house of Uttam Kumar as governess of Uttam Kumar’s brother’s child to return his memory. Uttam Kumar produced the film and it created history.

The Ajoy Kar Uttam Kumar magic continued in the film Saptapadi based on the classic literature of Tarashankar Bandopadhyay. Uttam Kumar being a hindu Brahmin married Suchitra Sen, a Christian. Chabi Biswas the father of Uttam Kumar begged before Suchitra Sen to forget Uttam Kumar. Uttam Kumar changed his religion, became a doctor and served the people during the 2nd world war. He even cured Suchitra Sen who suffered a bomb blast during the war. The film was considered to be the greatest hit of the 60s.

Uttam Kumar acted in other landmark films of Ajoy Kar like Suno Boronari and Khelaghar. It was pity that in the late 60s, Ajoy Kar went to Pune Film and Television Institute and taught new directors the art of film making. Otherwise he could have experimented more with Mahanayak Uttam Kumar. The legendary films of the great director and the landmark matinee idol should be restored for the future generations.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Actor Nirmal Pandey passed away on 18th February, 2010 after facing massive heart attack. It was shocking news for the bollwood industry. He came to limelight by performing in Shekhar Kapoor’s film Bandit Queen.

Shekhar Kapoor required a challenging character to play the role of the husband of Phoolan Devi who was named Vikram malwa. Nirmal Pandey played the role in style. He was ever-protective towards Bandit Queen. But he could extend the protection beyond a certain time. He was killed by the Thakurs.

He showed his diverse style of acting in commercial films as well. His landmark performance as a villain in Salman Khan’s film Auzaar created a different identity for himself. He played the role of a renowned smuggler in the film. He was the rival of the other smuggling don played by Paresh Rawal, who was the father of Sanjay Kapoor. Nirmal Pandey kidnapped Shilpa Shetty to blackmail Salman Khan and Sanjay Kapoor. Both Salman Khan and Sanjay Kapoor freed Shilpa Shetty after killing Nirmal Pandey at the end of the film.

He graduated from National School of Drama in New Delhi. His landmark roles included the performance in Amol Palekar’ film Daayara, Salman Khan’s film Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, One Two Ka Four, etc. He was appreciated for the diverse roles he played.

He was sublime as an actor also in the film Is Raat Ki Subah Nahi which was directed by Sudhir Mishra. He was acted in Television serials like Hatim, Rajkumar Aryan, Shh Phir Koi Hai, etc. He was also an aspiring singer. His album titled “Jasba” was appreciated by musical crowds.

Had he survived, he could have shown his versatility in films in future. His films and his TV Serials should be restored.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Shankar Jaikishan dominated bollywood music for more than 25 years ranging from the late 40s to early 70s. Due to sad demise of Jaikishan in the 70s, the evergreen combination broke up and critics repent about the end of the contribution of the giant composers.

Shankar was very loyal towards the SJ Banner and continued to use it in films after 1971, when Jaikishan died and Shankar had composed the music himself. Jaikishan’s death was a big blow for Shankar who already was shocked about the demise of lyricist Shailendra in the late 60s, who had contributed for the tunes of Shankar. Shankar lost the big banners in the 70s, due to the death of Jaikishan.

For example Raj Kapoor shifted towards the music of Laxmikant Pyarellal from Bobby, in 1973, when Shankar was still alive and gave music in many films in the 70s. Raj Kapoor had never thought about any other composer in his entire career other than SJ, excepting films like Jagte Raho, where he had used Salil Choudhury or Ab Dilli Door Nahi, where Dattaram contributed, who was the assistant of SJ.

The big banner of GP Sippy went to RD Burman after the death of Jaikishan. SJ composed the music for the film Andaz in 1971. But RD Burman got the scope of composing music in films like Seeta Aur Geeta in 1972, Sholay in 1975, Shaan in 1980, Saagar in 1985, all were made under the GP Sippy Banner. Although Shankar continued to compose music in the mid-70s in films of Manoj Kumar like Beimaan or Sanyasi, but the big banner of GP Sippy was lost.

Shankar also lost the banner of Shakti Shamanta after 1971. Previously SJ composed music in Shakti Shamanta’s films An Evening in Paris and Pagla Kahin Ka. But after the death of Jaikishan, RD Burman got the scope of composing music in his films including Kati Patang and Amar Prem which were hit as well.

Whether the music suffered or changed after the death of Jaikishan is another question to be answered, but there is no doubt that Shankar lost most of the big banners in the 70s, after the death of Jaikishan in 1971.

As far as trend of bollywood music was concerned there was a sea change after the death of Jaikishan in 1971. Loud orchestrations were evident in major films because of the trends existing in Hollywood. Beat oriented music prevailed. RD Burman had a beat of his own exhibited in films like Anamika, Jheel Ke Us Paar, Sholay, Shaan, etc. Bappi Lahiri had his own beat exhibited in Disco Dancer, Namakhalal, Sharabi, etc. The composer-duo who did not stick to a beat but shuffled with them included Laxmikant Pyarellal. They were the only duo who compromised with the requirements of the age and transformed their own music in films like Ek Duje Ke Liye or Prem Rog, etc.

But Shankar Jaikishan’s blend of east and west faded away in the 70s. Also the utilization of folk music in films like Shree 420, Teesri Kasam, reduced down.

The compositions of Shankar Jaikishan should be restored and preserved.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The controversy that had been created by Bal Thakrey in respect of allowing the film halls in Mumbai to release My Name is Khan had added sympathy for the film. The film had got a greater opening due to the controversy.

Shahrukh Khan as one of the sponsors of Kolkata Knight Riders team in IPL League had just spoken in favour of Pakistani cricketers to be allowed to play in India to add attraction and competitiveness in the game of cricket. Shiv Sena and Bal Thakrey saw the entire thing from communal angle and prevented the release of Shahrukh Khan’s film My Name is Khan in many halls in Mumbai. But the film received brilliant opening in parts of US, Canada and some European countries as well.

Karan Johar had brought a communal angle for the film. Shahrukh Khan had been depicted as an insane person whose insanity was caused due to ill-treatment of suspected muslims who stayed in US after the 9/11 attacks.

Kajol played the sensitive character in the film and did well after a long time. She did not get landmark roles for some time now and once again in My Name is Khan she had proved that if the script is strong she can provide natural performances. The music of the film composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy had been soft and meaningful.

Shahrukh Khan had reduced acting in as many films as he used to do few years back. This ploy had been similar to the trend set by Amir Khan. If My Name is Khan ends up being a blockbuster, then it will be proved again that Shahrukh Khan had remained the greatest crowd puller for the last 5 years.

The viewers should watch the film, where acting, camera work, music and other aspects require special mention.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Mohammad Rafi virtually ruled bollywood music during the 50s and 60s. Therefore his contribution was unique in the career of all the leading stars of the golden age including Dilip Kumar, Rajender Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Pradeep Kumar, Bharat Bhushan, Guru Dutt, Pradip Kumar, Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet, Dharmender, Jeetender and others.

But in the 70s, Rafi did not get the same amount of songs from the upcoming composers if compared with his domination in the 60s. He made his existence felt in style with romantic combination in the films of Rishi Kapoor. Two factors went in his favour. Firstly Rishi Kapoor was the leading romantic actor of that age who balanced the action films of Big B, Vinod Khanna, Shatrughun Sinha and others with his romantic films. At the other hand Laxmikant Pyarellal, the composer who was loyal to Rafi till the last day of his life was the main contributor in Rishi Kapoor’s films.

In the film Badalte Rishtey, Rafi’s song for Rishi Kapoor “woh woh na rahen” reminded the viewers about the romantic andaz that he displayed for the previous 30 years. Besides the song “yeh duniya ke badalte rishte” was equally impressive. Madan Mohan and Jaidev combined together to compose the songs for Rishi Kapoor’s epic film Laila Majnu.

Laila Majnu flabbergasted the viewers with the flavor of music of middle-east, the area related to the subject matter of the film. Each song of Rafi had a class of its own including “ mai tere dar pe aya hoon”, “barbad muhobbat ki dua saah liye ja”, “is reshmi pazeeb ki jhankar ke sadpe” (sung by Lata and Rafi), “likhkar tera naam zamee par” (sung by Lata and Rafi).

Rafi and Rishi Kapoor continued the romantic combination in the film Sargam. All the songs in the film were backed by very loud melodious orchestration. Rafi’s songs with Lata became super hit including “ramjiki nikli sawari”, “dafliwale dafli baja”, “koel boli duniya doli”, to name a few. Rafi’s solo numbers in the film like “hum to chale pardes”, “kahan tera insaaf hai”, appealed to the masses. Rishi Kapoor’s excellent lips were complimented by Jaya Prada’s classical dance in the film. Rafi was brilliant as ever.

Rishi Kapoor and Rafi combination entertained the viewers and listeners in the film Amar Akbar Anthony as well. All the songs composed by LP for Rafi created sensation. The qawalli “parda hai parda” was considered to be the last conventional qawalli composed in the 70s which faded away in the 80s and 90s due to absence of Rafi and had been revived in recent times. The other songs “shirdi wali saibaba” required high pitch which Rafi provided in style. Rafi sang the song “humko tumse ho gaya hai pyar kya Karen” with Kishore and Mukesh in the same film.

The Rafi Rishi Kapoor combination continued in the film Karz. The song “darde-dil darde-jigar” had remained one of the leading songs that are played on Valentine’s day for years. LP’s strong insistence for Rafi with Rishi Kapoor also motivated RD Burman to use Rafi in films of Rishi Kapoor. The song “pucho na yaar kya hua” showed Rafi’s elegance in westernized songs where Rishi Kapoor gave brilliant lips. Also Rishi Kapoor gave able lips in the qawalli sung in the film Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahi in late 70s. Rafi was outstanding by every musical standard.

It was a huge tragedy that Rafi died in 1980, otherwise he could have sung many romantic songs for Rishi Kapoor who gave adequate expression in the songs sung by Rafi. Although Rafi’s songs for Rishi Kapoor did not have the class that was evident in the songs of the 60s as giants of giants like Naushad, Roshan, Ghulam Mohammad, Shankar Jaikishan, OP Nayyar, Madanmohan were at their zenith during that age, the combination of Rafi and Rishi Kapoor still has importance because it came at a time when action films eroded the requirement for soft romantic songs in films. For those reasons the songs and the films should be preserved.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Director Tahir Hussain died on 2nd February, 2010, after having a massive heart attack. He had been known as the brother of notable filmmaker Nasir Hussain and father of Amir Khan.

He was associated with Director Nasir Hussain from the early 60s. He even acted in a small role in the film Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai released in 1961. Dev Anand and Asha Parekh played the main roles in the film and the music of the film was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. All the songs sung by Rafi and Lata became super hit including “jiya ho, jiya ho jiya kuch bol do”, “yeh ankhe uff yumma”, “sau saal pehele”, “teri zulfonki”, etc.

Tahir Hussain produced the super hit film Carvaan in the early 70s. The performance of Jeetender and Asha Parekh amazed the viewers. The dancing capabilities of Jeetender and Asha Parekh were appreciated by the viewers. RD Burman’s music became super hit with Rafi, Lata and Asha’s songs like “kitna pyara wada”, “piya tu”, “dilbar” entertaining the viewers.

Tahir Hussain produced the film Anamika in the 70s with Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bacchan. Both Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bacchan used to be considered the most versatile actor and actress of the 70s. Due to their variations in acting they were generally cast in off-beat films directed by Gulzar, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, etc. But Tahir Hussain used them in a romantic film which did great business.

In the mid-70s, Tahir Hussain switched on to action films. His film Zakhmee with Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh became super hit. In the same film Rakesh Roshan, Reena Roy and others also were introduced he later on became great stars.

He produced the films Hum Hai Rahi Pyar Ke and Tum Mere Ho where Amir Khan played the lead roles. The films maintained the gharana of Tahir Hussain’s soft romantic stories which charmed the audience. These days his son Amir Khan has a wider popularity than the father as he is appreciated for giving super hit films like Ghajini and 3 idiots. Even then Tahir Hussain should b remembered for his great work and his films should be restored.

Friday, February 12, 2010

The 55th Idea Filmfare awards nominations 2009 have nothing new. It seems that the nominations that were there in Starscreen Awards and Stardust Awards, the same nominations are made in filmfare.

The film 3 idiots will compete with Dev D, Kaminey, Paa, Wake Up Sid and Love Aaj Kaal for the best film. If 3 idiots fail to win the award it will be an amazement. AR Rehman will compete with Amit Trivedi, Pritam, Shankar Ehsaan Loy and Vishal Bharatdwaj for best composer. It does not matter that Pritam has two nominations and one of his compositions in Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani did great business only due to the great music. AR Rehman will win the award again it seems.

Amir Khan neither attends awards ceremony nor gets the awards. It is strange that his film 3 idiots did business worth 200 crores. Yet the award will go to Amitabh Bacchan for his performance in the film Paa. It has become a prestige issue to give awards only to Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bacchan. It does not matter that Ranbir Kapoor has two nominations in the films Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani and Wake Up Sid. Kareena Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra’s efforts in the films 3 idiots, New York and Kaminey will go in vain as Vidya Balan will win the award for best actress for her performance in the film Paa. It has become a prestige issue to act with Big B and Abhishek Bacchan in the recent years.

Rishi Kapoor, Amole Gupte, Boman Irani, R. Madhavan, Sharman Joshi and Neil Nitin Mukesh had been nominated for best supporting actor award. Dimple Kapadia, Arundhuti Naag, Divya Dutta, Kalki Koechlin and Sahana Goswami had been nominated for the best supporting actress award.The awards do not prove excellence. Whether an actor or actress wins it or not, as long as they receive appreciation for their work from the audience their work gets rewarded.

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Bobby Deol, on 27th February, 2010. He had acted in many successful films in his long career, and the new generation expects even better performance from the stylish actor.

Being the son of Dharmender and brother of Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol required some special skills to create his identity and look different to the viewers. He showed his stylish accent in the film Gupt which was a murder mystery. Bobby Deol was alleged to have killed his father Raj Babbar and was sent to jail. He escaped from the jail with the help of Manisha Koirala and proved himself innocent.

He matched the villainish performance of Kajol in the film and balanced the performances of a series of villains in the film including Prem Chopra, Raza Murad, etc. Om Puri was sublime in the role of a police inspector and Bobby Deol showed his personality when both of them met each other. He even gave good lips in the songs composed by Viju Shah like “bechaniya”, “gupt, gupt”, etc.

Producers started casting Bobby Deol in stylish roles especially in action pact films like Soldier. He did very well opposite Preeti Zinta. Most of the film was shot in Australia and Bobby Deol proved himself both as a romantic actor and also action. All the songs of the film were hit including “soldier, soldier”, “mehfil me ekbaar”, etc. His action stunts opposite Suresh Oberoi was ably appreciated by the viewers.

After few years Bobby Deol changed his hair style but continued to act in action films like Badal and Bicchu. In both these films his heroine was Rani Mukherjee who added attraction in the films. Bobby Deol brought out the vengeance in the character of terrorists especially in the film Badal. But someway or the other due to strong domination of Shahrukh Khan mainly in romantic films, Bobby Deol’s films did mediocre business and he did not get the recognition he deserved.

Even in suspense thrillers like Ajnabee, Bobby Deol balanced the villanish performance of Akshay Kumar and individual performances of Kareena Kapoor and Bipasha Basu. The film had many twists and turns and Bobby Deol ultimately took revenge against Akshay Kumar for planting a false case against him.

Bobby Deol even did well in the film Aur Pyar Ho Gaya opposite Aishwarya Rai. His films Jhoom Barabar Jhoom did not do that well in 2007, but his film Heroes in 2008 did good business.

In 2009, his film Ek, The Power of One did moderate business. He had shown excellence in action films, but for the last few years action films did not do great business. With strong competition from Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan, Amir Khan and the new heroes Bobby Deol has to do something exceptional to maintain his stardom.

The viewers expect him to do even better in bollywood films in the years to come

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The film 13B should have done better business than what it had done. R. Madhavan played the leading role in the film. During the last few years horror films did not do great business. The same thing happened with 13B

In this film R. Madhavan took a home loan and bought a flat in the premises number 13B. His wife became pregnant within short period of time. But strange things started happening in the flat. The electrician met with a shock. There was problem with the Television. The serial that was shown in the TV enchanted the family members including Poonam Dhillon.

R, Madhavan came to know that the family that lived in the same house before had been killed by a mysterious killer. The girl of that family was a news reader. The brother of Sachin Kherekar had an affair with news reader. When marriage was fixed in an arranged manner, the brother committed suicide. Sachin Kherekar could not tolerate the death and killed all the family members of the family of the news reader. There was one abnormal brother in the family. When he was seen breaking the TV, he was held responsible for the killing and imprisoned.

At the end of the film R. Madhavan asked Sachin Kherekar to reach flight tickets to his family members. He went over to the house in premises number 13B. He saw illusionary images in the TV where the news reader held him responsible for all the killings. He took a hammer but by the time he could kill the wife of R. Madhavan, R. Madhavan reached home and killed Sachin Kherekar with another hammer. The entire mystery was unearthed at the end of the film.

Dhritiman Chatterji played the role of a blind neighbour in the film, who walked with his pet dog. His spooky appearance was used in the film to create horror images. R. Madhavan used to fear him. At the end of the film, it was found that Dhritiman Chatterji was a harmless person. The film should have done well in the box-office considering the innovative story. But these days viewers had made it a habit to only accept comedy films. It is very unfair on the part of good directors to get negative responses whenever they come up with creative ideas. 13B should be watched by everyone.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Abhishek Bacchan on 5th February, 2010. He had entertained the viewers over the last 10 years and is expected to do even better in the years to come.

Being the son of superstars Amitabh Bacchan and Jaya Bacchan, he had a great challenge in terms of proving himself in the early part of his career. He got chance in good films like JP Dutta’s Refugee, Dhai Aksar Prem Ki, Bombai Se Aya Mera Dost, but due to comparison of him with his father, his performance was not appreciated inspite of the success of the film.

Then he formed a fantastic pair with actress Rani Mukherjee and his career took a turn. His film Yuva was very successful. He played a negative character in the film opposite Rani Mukherjee. The film was related to the violent scenario in Kolkata caused by politics in academic institutions and the loss to the students due to such unrest. Ajay Devgan and Vivek Oberoi did extremely well in the film along with Abhishek Bacchan.

Abhishek Bacchan and Rani Mukherjee complimented each other in the film Bunty Aur Babli. Both of them took the recourse of falsehood and duped different people all across the country. Before their plan was unearthed they left the place and got involved in other crimes. The music in the film composed by Shankar- Ehsaan-Loy became super hit with popular songs like “dharak dharak”, “chup chupke chup chupke”, “bunty aur babli”, “kajra re kajra re”, etc. Aishwarya Rai amused the viewers with her item number in the film titled “kajra re”. Big B also did well in the film in the role of police inspector.

Abhishek Bacchan did well in the film Dhoom-2 opposite Hrithik Roshan. He investigated the significant operations carried out by Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai who were international thieves and stole expensive items from museums and art galleries. Abhishek Bacchan arrested Hrithik Roshan at the end of the film but did not confine him after he disclosed the places where he stored the stolen items.

His other hit films included Guru, opposite Aishwarya Rai and Dostana opposite John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra. In 2009 his film Dilli 6 had been released where he did extremely well opposite Sonam Kapoor and veteran actors in the film.

At the end of the year he acted in a critically acclaimed film Paa. The film was directed by Balki. Big played the role of the son of Abhishek Bacchan and Vidya Balan played the role of the his wife. Big B died at the end of the film. Big B and Vidya Balan received the best actor and best actress award in 2010 star screen awards for their performance in the film Paa. Abhishek Bacchan played his role of a politician in style.

His tall height and deep voice impressed the viewers over the last few years and the viewers are looking forward to his depiction of the character Ram that he is going to play in director Mani Ratnam’s film Ravan.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Atif Aslam, better known as Mohammad Atif Aslam, was born on 11th March, 1983. He had emerged as a very powerful pop singer of Pakistan who had shown his requirement in bollywood music in the last 5 years.

He was born in Wazirabad and studied in Lahore and Rawalpindi. During his early days he had passion towards cricket and played well too. It was very natural as Lahore was the city from where the captain of Pakistan Imran Khan belonged. But his love over music turned his career.

He recorded the song “aadat” in Mekal Hassan’s Studio in the late 90s. He released his first album titled ‘jalpari’ in 2004. His second album “doori” was released in 2006. He stormed bollywood with his stylish performance in the film Race.

Composer Pritam used his pop style of singing in the song “pehli nazar me aisa jadoo kar diya” in the film Race. Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Khanna played the lead roles in the film. The song became a craze for the youngstars. Atif Aslam continued his stylish performance with the song “bakhuda tumhi ho” in the film Kismat Connection picturised on Shahid Kapoor. Although the film did mediocre business the song became super hit.

In 2009, Atif Aslam, stormed bollywood with the songs “tu jane na”, and “tera hone laga hoon” composed by Pritam. Both the songs were from the film Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani which was one of the greatest hits of 2009, after The Three Idiots and Wanted. The songs were picturised on Ranbir Kapoor who had been described as the new superstar by a number of film critics.

He is presently busy with the songs of the film Prince – It’s Showtime. His song “who lamhe” from the film Zeher was also successful. He received “tamgha –e-imtiaz”, a medal of distinction for outstanding singing.

He will be a big competitor of Indian established singers like Sonu Nigam, Shaan, Udit Narayan, and others. The viewers and listeners expect him to continue the great work.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Veteran actor Sujit Kumar died on 6th February, 2010. He was a successful actor both in hindi films and Bhojpuri films.

In the late 60s, he started playing positive roles. He played the role of the friend of Rajesh Khanna in Shakti Shamanta’s film Aradhana in 1969. He played the mouth organ in style in the song ‘mere sapno ki rani” in Aradhana. But in the early 70s he started playing negative roles.

He played the lead villain in Dharmender’s film Resham Ki Dori. In the mid-70s, there was a tradition of using more than one villain in the same film. He played his role as a villain in the action film Jugnu. He was the other villain other than Ajit and Prem Chopra in the same film. The other films where he played negative roles included Ankhen and Charas.

He played significant roles in the late 70s and early 80s as well. In Big B’s the great gambler, Sujit Kumar played the negative character under Prem Chopra who implicated Big B. In Shaan he worked under Kulbhushan Kharbanda. He had a strong action scene with Shashi Kapoor in the film Shaan.

In the late 80s and early 90s, he played character roles. He played the role of the father of Anil Kapoor in the film Kala Bazar. He was a clerk who led his life with honesty. When he faced charges of corruption, he could not bear it and committed suicide. Anil Kapoor took revenge against the perpetrators of crime in the film.

Sujit Kumar also produced notable films. One of them included Champion, where Sunny Deol and Manisha Koirala played the lead characters. The film was related to the fear created by a villain in the eyes of a small boy who was protected by Sunny Deol. Sunny had to kill the person to drive out the fear from the minds of the little boy.

Sujit Kumar played a very long innings in Bhojpuri films right from the 60s to the 90s. He did not get very prominent roles in his illustrious career. But an actor who had acted in more than 150 hindi films and Bhojpuri films deserve respect from the film fraternity and the viewers. His films should be restored.

Friday, February 5, 2010

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Pran Sikand, the legendary actor on 12th February, 2010. He was one of indispensable personality in bollywood films without whom most of the films of the 50s and 60s could not be thought about. He also was a big star who was as popular as an antihero as the leading stars of 50s and 60s including Showman Raj Kapoor and Tragedy King Dilip Kumar.

Pran had acted in more than 300 films in his career which spanned over 60s years. He was a notorious dacoit in Raj Kapoor’s Jis Desh Me Ganga Behti Hai, who was reformed and persuaded to surrender before the police at the end of the film. He hammered Dilip Kumar all along the film Dil Diya Dard Liya, not knowing his identity. It was later known that Dilip Kumar was the king of the princely estate after the locket in his body was discovered. Dilip Kumar forgave him even after knowing that his affair with Wahida Rehman never blossomed into marriage due to Pran only. Among romantic songs of Rafi and Lata like “sawan aye ya na aye”, “dilruba main ne tere”, “koi sagar dil ko behlata nahi”, Pran kept a balance with his villanish pursuits.

In Ram Aur Shyam, Pran tortured one of the Dilip Kumars who played the role of his brother-in-law. When Dilip Kumar’s twin brother came to his wife he took revenge against the evil deeds of Pran. The film was serio-comic in nature with Dilip Kumar playing a double role for the first time in Ram Aur Shyam.

In the mid-60s, Pran changed his image by playing positive roles like the one he played in the film Upkar. In that film he played the role of a handicapped person but he was an observer who witnessed the good deeds of Manoj Kumar who was a farmer and the bad deeds of his own brother played by Prem Chopra. Pran’s lips in Manna Dey’s songs “kasme wade” is still remembered by cinematic audience today.

Pran was sublime in most of the hit films of the 60s like Shammi Kapoor’s Raj Kumar, Kashmir Ki Kali, An Evening in Paris, etc., Joy Mukherjee’s Love in Tokyo, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Biswajeet’s Mere Sanam, Rajender Kumar’s Ganwar, to name a few. In the 70s he even matched himself with the action heroes of the other generation like Dharmender and Big B.

His performance in Big B’s film Zanjeer in the role of a Pathan requires special mention. In Amar Akbar Anthony, he was the father of Big B, Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor and he faced the evil operations of Jeevan and his men all along the film. He kept his fit to such an extent that in action sequences, he never looked out of place in a film where Big B, Vinod Khanna who were much younger than him showed their own skills.

Pran continued his villainish performances in films of 80s including Dilip Kumar’s Duniya and Big B and Rajnikant’s Andha Kanoon. With notable actors coming in bollywood industry in the 80s like Amrish Puri, Danny, Paresh Rawal, Kader Khan, Anupam Kher, etc., Pran slowly faded away from the industry. By that time he had performed in more than 300 films.

Viewers remember him for his unique style of dialogue delivery, unique mannerisms and fantastic body. His viewers pay respect to the old actor on his birthday who had already received lifetime achievement award from Filmfare for his unique contribution to bollywood cinema.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Satinath Mukherjee was one of the versatile classical singers who did not get dues during the golden age. The 50s and 60s were categorized with notable classical and semi-classical singers in the Bengal arena where Manobendra Mukherjee, Manna Dey, Dhananjoy Bhattacharya, Akhil Bandhu Ghosh and other giants galvanized the world of modern songs.

He sang separate private songs involving “raag pradhan” which described the movement of separate ragas like Imon, Baghesri, Darbari Kanada, Behag, Ashawari, etc. Some of his classical songs included “bojhona keno ami je koto eka”, “jedin jibone tumi”, “baluka belay kurai jhinuk”, to name a few. Very significantly most of the songs were composed by himself.

As a composer he used to be considered a giant of giants. His compositions for other legendary singers included “tomar pother prante moner monideep jele rekhechi” and “bhule gechi kobe” sung by Manobendra Mukherjee, “eto alo aar eto hasi gaan” sung by Shyamal Mitra, “ami cheyechi tomay” sung by Dhananjoy Bhattacharya, “tomar moto amiyoto koto soyechi” sung by Pannalal Bhattacharya, to name a few.

Besides his own student Dipak Maitra had sung few songs composed by Satinath Mukherjee included “koto kotha bola holona”. Satinath Mukherjee is associated with the compositions for the two maestros in Indian music namely Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar.

Lata’s first record in Bengali namely “akash pradeep jale” and “koto tara” were the compositions of the genius Satinath Mukherjee. Satinath Mukherjee’s landmark compositions for Mohammad Rafi included “ekhono biday bolona”, “pakhitar buke jeno teer merona”, etc. It is very sad that Satinath Mukherjee’s immense musical talents were not used in Bengali films. He had sung rare songs like “majhe nodi bahe re” in Tapan Sinha’s film Atithi, songs in Uttam Kumar’s film Bon Palashir Padabali, etc.

Otherwise Satinath Mukherjee, the sincere student of Ustad Bare Ghulam Ali Khan was one of the revolutionary singers and composers who remained an institution by himself. His students included singer and composer Jotileshwar Mukherjee who carried on the legacy of Satinath Mukherjee. Renowned singer Utpala Sen was his wife. The songs and creations of Satinath should be preserved and restored.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The viewers of bollywood films wish happy birthday to Imran Khan on 13th January, 2010. Being the relative of Amir Khan, he had to fulfill huge expectation of the viewers.

In 2008, he rocked bollywood films with his first film Jaane Tu Ya Jane Na. The film was produced by Amir Khan. Both Imran Khan and Genelia De Souza got very positive reviews from the audience. The music of the film was composed by Oscar Winning Composer AR Rehman. All the songs in the film became super hit, including “kabhi kabhi aditi”, “pappu cant dance”, “nazre milana”, etc. All the junior actors and actresses complimented Imran Khan in the film. In character roles Paresh Rawal, Naseeruddin Shah also did a great job.

After Jane Tu Ya Jane Na, Imran Khan switched off to action films. He played the role of a kidnapper in the film Kidnap. He kidnapped Sanjay Dutt’s daughter Minishha Lamba to teach Sanjay Dutt a lesson. The entire film was related to the struggle of Sanjay Dutt in rescuing his daughter. Imran Khan released Minnisha Lamba at the end of the film. The music of the film was also decent.

But after that none of Imran Khan’s film could create any attention. He acted in the film Luck along with Sanjay Dutt and others. The film did not do good business. Most of these films do not attract a large section of viewers who are not interested in action films. Except Salman Khan’s Wanted, none of the action films became hit in 2009.

There is no doubt that Imran Khan possesses a lot of talent. But if compared with the beginning that Ranbir Kapoor had got with 3 hits in two years, Imran Khan had started his innings in a slow pace. Some way or the other he requires to act in a hit film to be in the competition.

The viewers wish him all the luck to bounce back and show his acting skills in future.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Starscreen awards were given in 2010. Although some good awards were given for the performance of films in 2010, Some of the other categories surprised the viewers.

Raj Kumar Hirani received the best director award for his film The Three Idiots. The film did business of more than 100 crores and the best director award was justified. The Three Idiots was also adjudged the as best film.

But to everyone’s surprise AR Rehman received the award for the best composer for the music of the film Delhi 6. The film’s music was very ordinary compared to the music of the films Saathiya or Roza, etc. On the other hand Pritam having nominations in three films did not receive any award. In fact the film Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani did great business due to the brilliant music of Pritam. It is very strange that Sonu Nigam did not receive a nomination for the best singer inspite of singing brilliantly the song “zubi zubi” in The Three Idiots. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan received the best singer award. Shantonu Moitra did not receive even a nomination for his music in the film The Three Idiots. Kavita Seth also won the best female singer award surpassing Shreya Ghoshal to everyone’s surprise.

Amitabh Bacchan and Vidya Balan won the best actor and actress award for the film Paa. These days Big B wins awards due to only his brand name. It is very sad. Ranbir Kapoor did not win best actor award inspite of giving versatile performances in the films Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani. Salman Khan was not there is the nomination also inspite of Wanted doing a business of more than 70 crores. Vidya Balan is a very natural actress. But in respect of her box-office, she is neither a competitor of Priyanka Chopra, nor Katrina Kaif, nor Kareena Kapoor. These days it has been a fashion that the moment an actress acts in a film with Big B or Abhishek Bacchan, she automatically wins an award.

Starscreen thinks that Shahrukh Khan requires an award even if he does not perform in any particular film. None of his films were released this year. Yet he won the award for the Jodi of the decade with Kajol. Similarly Big B and Abhishek Bacchan won the award for the best Jodi. These days it has been a fashion to give best awards to two male performers. Raj Kapoor Nargis, or Dilip Kumar Vaijayantimala would have fainted to see the best Jodi award. Boman Irani’s award for best villain for The Three Idiots is well justified. Also Omi Vaidya’s award for the best comedian is well justified.

Rishi Kapoor’s award for the best supporting actor in the film Luck By Chance is well justified. At the same time Sharman Joshi and R Madhavan should have an award in some category for their best performance in the film The Three Idiots. Neither the awards proven any level of excellence, nor the awards show popularity. Kareena Kapoor won the award the most popular actress for her performance in the film The Three Idiots. Katrina Kaif won the best entertainer award.

If filmfare also follows the same trend it will be a very sad precedent. The awards do not mean anything when stalwarts like Om Puri or Naseeruddin Shah are neither nominated nor receive anything, the hit films like Wake Up Sid, or Wanted, or Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani are left behind.

Dr. Souvik Chatterji

Master of Law from Warwick University, Coventry,UK

Received Doctorate Degree in Philosophy of law from National Law University, Jodhpur after submitting PhD Thesis in Law in National Law University, Jodhpur on the topic “Treatment of Cartels in India and USA”.